Restless Dreams, page 6
For fucksakes, get up already and fight back.
But the pain coming from in between my legs leaves me frozen. Tears stream down my face, but not from the pain of the loss of my manhood. Scarlet felt it slide out of her and onto the floor. The amount of trauma a sight could cause for someone has no limits. Every person is different; what could be a walk in the park for some could be war for others.
Unfortunately, having someone lose their dick while they are inside you is not a walk in the park. I clearly underestimated Priscilla, the round-eyed whore. She had me clocked from the beginning; she must have been tracking me through the senses if she knew enough to make her way down to the cells while I was slamming Scarlet's pussy into a creamy home run..
I wasn’t fucking finished when they rudely interrupted me while I was clearly in the middle of devouring the meal of a lifetime.
Before I can react, my body is flung into a cell, clearly from the loud rattle of the bars behind me. None of this is going as I imagined; this wound will take away a great deal of my strength to protect Scarlet, but not enough that I can see into my little dreamer's mind. She's unconscious at the sound of nothing. I try to focus my head enough to seek a heart beat.
They all will pay for laying a finger on Scarlet; I should never have brought her here. As soon as I got word that she was the next target, I should have taken that as my opportunity to escape this world, like Scarlet's father granted her when he took her away from this place. But it was an inevitable event: Priscilla getting her hands on Scarlet. If I hadn't kidnapped her, Priscilla would have sent her personal dogs after Scarlet, and that just won't do.
No one takes her but me; no one will even lay an eye on her but me. We need to escape, whether we both make it out alive or just Scarlet, my candle in the darkness. Her safety alone would be acceptable to me.
I heard Priscilla command her dogs to take us to the pit, yet I'm here, sitting in a locked cell, with the lost appendage in between my legs.
How could I forget that so quickly?
They brought me here for just enough time to allow my body's powers to do their work—enough for me to be able to fight. If I'm here,where are they taking Scarlet? I know my mother is too egotistical to leave Scarlet knocked out in her cell. The woman always has to do something big, bold, and extravagant to get her point across that she always comes out on top in the realm.
Its like a pissing contest, but in place of piss is the blood of some fucking poor soul that was just trying to exist even in a place where they may not belong. Isn't that what it's all about in Scarlet's world—just people trying to live and drag through day by day? Scarlet was certainly an example of that; her depression is severe, but she functions well with it. That can be a problem.
High-functioning, depressed souls are the most dangerous because you never know when the next straw will be the last for them. I'm not saying Scarlet would have taken it to that extreme, but I remember significantly one late night while I was pumping my cock in my pants as Scarlet lay in her apartment, making her fingers dance between her folds, thinking about me again.
I felt a sudden graze of darkness peer into her soul. Feeling this in Scarlet made me feel the same darkness; she was sad. Sadness that was induced by the rather lame routine of her sleeping her days away working at some shitty diner stalked by piggish truckers that come in heaving from the cancer in their lungs while a bulging stomach peaks through whatever sweat-soaked shirt they were wearing. I wanted better for my Scarlet; I have always wanted better for her.
She deserves to be so happy; her smile shines like the piercing I had at the tip of my cock.
Fuck, now I have to pierce that shit again. Thanks a lot,mother.
Enough with all this bullshit; I need to focus on healing so that I can possibly get us the hell out of here. Feeling defeated, I just continue to lay on the ground, knowing my only option right now is to allow my body to do its thing.
God, Scarlet, please stay strong and safe for me. I promise I’ll fix this.
SCARLET
“Are you just going to lay there and let them kill you? Kill us, that is.” A random voice, soft but distant, speaks to me, making me slowly lift my eyes.
Flickering hanging lights with metal wiring over them, they look familiar. A groan that sounds far from being human emits from my left. I slowly turn my head to the side and am met with a sight that almost makes me jump up, but I can’t.
I try to lift my hands and find them cuffed in leather-padded cuffs against a rusted rail, the kind you see in asylums for the mentally ill. I'm lying down with my legs straight in front of me; it appears I’m lying on a gurney. It’s not clean, of course, with a few stains of blood that’s not mine lying in splotches between my legs.
Refocusing my attention on the source of the groans, a rusted cage sits only big enough, maybe to fit a dog; inside sits a battered body; it's hard to tell if it’s a man or woman. Their head is shaven, obviously not of their own will, as there are patches of brown hair decorated with gashes. They’re even missing a few fingernails at the sight of the blood crusting their fingers. A maggot or two lays where their fingernails should be. With dried blood and pus covering the rest of their body as well, this person was tortured and left to rot.
Suddenly I hear the clicking of heels against tile; very slowly, whatever it is, is making its way towards me. The lights go out, making me suck down a scream.
If I didn’t have any dignity left, I’d be pissing my pants right about now.
Suddenly the groaning turns into screaming, followed by the sound of the cage bashing against the wall. I can only describe that hell has just broken loose with whatever is in this room with me right now. I tug at the restraints and try to free myself, but it's no use. Priscillas men must have strapped me down here after that bastard knocked me out. What a pussy, a man who thinks it's okay to hit a woman.
Parker would have torn him apart if he witnessed what happened. The lights turn back on, blinding me. My eyes are squeezed shut, expecting something to try to tear me apart next; instead, I hear what sounds like gargling. Mustering up the courage to possibly face my fate, I turn my head towards where the cage sat to find a woman on all fours in an old weathered nurse outfit. It is rather shorter than the older nurse uniforms I have seen in my world, and she's wearing heels. Ones that are white and spattered with... blood?
Blinking my eyes rapidly to clear my vision, the nurse's skin is stained with old blood and dirt, and long, jagged scars are painted all over her legs. Moving my eyes up her back, her uniform is also dirty as hell and covered in, of course, blood.
I couldn’t be lucky enough to have an actual nurse come in here to help me. No, not here; it's also something fucking deranged, dark, or something that wants to drag me around the realm like a ragdoll.
The nurse stands slowly; she begins to twitch and gargle as she begins to throw up a dark, tarry liquid on the floor; it smells of death. Something in her hand catches my eye—the hairs on the back of my neck standing in response to the fear that just shot into me like the syringe in her hand.
Yes, you heard me right—a goddamn syringe.
I begin shaking the restraints in an attempt to meet my freedom—bad fucking idea, Sharon. The nurse turns around. I am not met with the face of a woman but another deranged creature of the realm. Her face is covered by bandages wrapping around her head with small holes that are seeping out the same tarry substance she spewed on the floor just a minute ago.
Oh, I am absolutely fucked.
With an ear-deafening screech, she charges toward me, her syringe raised in the air. It takes all my force, but somehow I throw my bodyweight over to the side, causing the gurney to flip onto the floor with a loud crash. I begin to scream in utter terror, reminding myself that I'm still strapped to this fucking thing.
”The darkness has scarred you too deeply. I'm afraid you are of no use to me here.” That voice—it's the same voice that spoke to me earlier, only this time it's very close.
I peer up to find a young girl about my height with long black hair like mine; she looks almost just like me. Same facial structure with a strong jaw and round cheek bones; her eyes are a piercing yellow-brown that makes the hair on my arms stand up. Who is this girl? She looks down at me with a surprising sense of hope in her eyes. She snaps her fingers, and the restraints around my wrists fall undone. I slowly get on my feet as I rub my sore wrists. The girl is still standing about a foot away, waiting for me to bombard her with questions, but I only say, “Thank you so much. Or are you going to kill me too?”
Her eyes widen as she begins to chuckle.
“No Scarlet I am not going to kill you; I'm here to help you; you are in my territory of the infirmary after all.”
“The infirmary? They brought me all the way back here.”
“Parker is in a cell, healing from Priscilla's act of castration. She is giving him time to heal for her disgusting little killing ground.” I sit on the flipped gurney, balancing myself so I don't fall off, allowing her to finish.
” I’m Alyssa, by the way. Parker's aunt, my sister, killed me 10 years ago in front of everyone still residing in the realm, though unfortunately some have passed or been killed at the hands of Priscilla herself for any reason she could pluck from thin air.” She pulls out a pack of cigarettes and begins to pull one out to light it.
My eyes light up at the sight.
”May I have one of those, please?” I ask, reaching my hand out slightly.
With one in between her lips, she smirks. ”Certainly.”
She responds so kindly as she pulls one out of the pack. She is very different from Parker's mother. I almost ripped the lighter out of her hand in desperation to feel the nicotine hit my lungs. I light it and take an immediate deep inhale. Ah, the exhale makes me miss home a little. The nights when work would be absolute shit. I’d go out to my car with a freshly brewed cup of coffee from the kitchen. A good old cup of joe and a stick of cancer always made me feel better.
”So how do I get back to Parker?” I ask eagerly, hoping to god that she has an answer that will answer all my prayers for getting us both back home.
Home, my house, Parker and I living together as soon as we left here would be a huge rush on most common relationships, but Parker and I don't have your typical relationship.
Alyssa stiffens at my question; she doesn't want to say what she is about to say. I can already see it in her eyes; mine get the same way too.
”There are tunnels underneath the infirmary that will lead you straight to the pitt, but once you reach the pitt, I warn you that my sister will be watching. She will expect Parker to find you within the Pitt, hunt you down, and kill you for her to witness.” My jaw drops at this information. These people are fucking sick.
I rub my hands on my pants, trying to make them less sweaty. Hearing this news has my mind all over the place. This world makes you feel like you have no safe corner, like everywhere you turn, it's just another obstacle you have to break your soul to get through.
Taking a deep breath after a moment of silence, I finally ask, “How do Parker and I leave? This place is dangerous, and I have the impression that Parker is a major player here in the realm, but it was all manipulation. Parker has a bigger heart than he lets on; he only does whatever Priscilla told him to over the years because he thought it was the right thing to do, and even if he knew it was not the right thing to do, what choice did he fucking have?” The words just fly out of my lips, like I've been waiting forever to let all of this out.
“I mean, the woman fucking castrated her own son while he was in the middle of having sex; there are no boundaries to that woman's reign of neglect and torture. Parker deserves better; he deserves true love, and I am more than happy to show him what that is when we get the hell out here.” Finishing my rant, I take a deep breath.
That was a mouthful, but I meant every word I said. Alyssa takes a minute to absorb everything I say, the words absorbing into her brain as she slowly smiles, but then the smile disappears as she looks back up at me.
”When you get to the pit, so long as Priscilla has not corrupted Parker's mind into hurting you, take him to the hall of mirrors. Parker's powers are far greater than most in the realm due to his bloodline; his powers are nearly as great as mine, and he can manifest a portal through the mirror, allowing you entry back into your world. But unfortunately, I hate to tell you, I’m not sure if someone with powers of the realm would be able to leave here while Priscilla still lives.” I feel all the color drain my face, tears prick my eyes, and what I feared most just left this woman's mouth.
Parker is not able to come back to the real world with me. I can only imagine the amount of torment he would go through with the betrayal he has exhibited towards his mother. Whether it was truly a good-natured thing to do or not, she believes her own lies so much that she would torture her own son over them. Parker being left behind would make him her personal scapegoat.
”No, I can't accept that. There has to be a way for us both to be able to go back.” Pounding my fists on the gurney below me, relief turned into rage in a matter of a second.
Alyssa strolls around the room with her arms crossed; she's lost in thought, racking her brain, trying to come up with a solution. She perks up and walks back over to her original spot. A look of determination colors her face.
"There is one thing you could try that just might work to let both you and Parker walk out of here.” I lean forward, my fists clenching as the anxiety is coiled in my throat, waiting for her to finish.
”Kill Priscilla, and the reign of terror will end, allowing both of you to leave here with no strings attached, meaning if you leave without the disposal of my sister, with Parker as her prisoner, there is absolutely nothing stopping her from sending the dwellers to the surface and bringing you back.” Her response was inevitable; that is the only way the realm will ever have a sense of peace—the death of their dictator.
It has to be done at this point; nothing will stop me from getting back home with my love. There's so much I want to ask him, so much I want to learn about him; we would have all the time in the real world rather than down here, where we have to eyeball every corner to make sure we are safe for the time being.
I take another big, deep breath and look up at the ceiling. I scoff, “Does every inch of this place look like it's been set on fire?” I ask, taking a drag of my cigarette.
Alyssa begins to run her hands up and down her arms,as if she is trying to comfort herself. I wonder when the last time was when she held a conversation like this with someone who is of somewhat sound mind in the realm.
”You see it too? It always looks like this for me.I wonder what everyone else sees” She replies distraughtly, scanning the room we stand in.
Everything is frozen in time, with chairs and medicine cabins thrown around the room, and the walls are scorched with char along with the smell of smoke and fire. But not the comforting campfire smell, unfortunately.
I don't want to ask, but I need to know, “What did Priscilla do to you, Alyssa?” She gasps at the question in response, her eyes scanning the floor as tears prick her eyes. Slowly flipping the palm of her hands up, she studies them for a minute before raising her eyes to meet mine.
“They burned me alive.”
Chapter XIII
ALYSSA
The fire in the middle of the church burns so brightly that it's showing me the light before I can even meet it myself. The townspeople are all gathered below, looking up at me with such disgust that I can feel the heat from beneath their stares. They have me tied to the ladder that janitors were supposed to use to clean the chandeliers in their holy place.
Only Priscilla and her followers could come up with the twisted idea to use it for a human roast. I lay my head back against the weathered wood, my hands tied so tightly that purple shadows bound around my wrists. This is the end. I've already accepted it; these people will never see me for who I really am. I'm not a fucking witch, like their children would taunt in unison when we were all still in class. Three days ago, I turned 18, and instead of planning my future, deciding whom I want my future partner to be, how many kids we’ll have, or if I would ever see the real world outside of the realm, I have been preparing for my own death.
Rather than fighting the sin and not the sinner, these people fight what they believe to be both when really the sin is bellowing nonsense below me, my own fucking sister.I’ll save you a seat in hell.
”Our gods will reward you all with the acts of justice we have done here today. The devil comes in many forms, and you all recognized the one that could fool us the most.” Priscilla preaches to her followers and the townspeople as if she is a gift from God herself; sixty percent of these people have no clue what it took for her to gain such a following.
The random beatings, the mysterious deaths, acts of intimidation, and, I’m sure, a little bribery all lie at the hands of Priscilla herself. The victims of her manipulation only played a role in bringing her to the top; she took care of any character that could possibly get in her way. Even a smug look could earn one death.
Not me, unfortunately; rather than making my death a mystery or even an accident, she has to dispose of me like I’m the one who committed her sin. Burning your sister at the stake is a great way of bringing fear into people's hearts; they'll do anything you say, praying they don't meet the same end. I take a deep breath in acceptance, honestly just waiting for this to be over with.The pain doesn't scare me one bit; she's granting me a wish by doing this after her dwellers took away the last person who ever truly accepted me, our father.
Priscilla found out that my father was having relations with the old priest's secretary, Heather. She was always such a nice lady, but she kept her distance because she knew getting too close would put a target on our backs. One day Heather disappeared; there was no trace of her body, not even her belongings. She escaped.
